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HYPOTHESIS AND THEORY article

Front. Physiol.
Sec. Integrative Physiology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fphys.2024.1515232
This article is part of the Research Topic Physiological and Pathological Responses to Hypoxia and High Altitude, Volume III View all 4 articles

Sex-Based Variations in Breath-Holding: Oxygen Storage and Diving Response among Non-divers

Provisionally accepted
Frank Pernett Frank Pernett 1Erika Schagatay Erika Schagatay 1,2Pontus Kristofer Holmström Pontus Kristofer Holmström 1,2*
  • 1 Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Human Sciences, Mid Sweden University, Östersund, Sweden
  • 2 Swedish Winter Sports Research Centre, Faculty of Human Sciences, Mid Sweden University, Östersund, Sweden

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Breath-hold diving performances are typically better in men than in women. However, it is still being determined if there are differences in the physiological responses to breath-holding between the sexes. We conducted a study comparing the maximum breath-hold duration, heart rate (HR) reduction, peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2), and spleen volume and contraction in 37 men and 44 women, all of whom had no prior breath-holding experience. They performed two dry apneas separated by 2 minutes; the first was limited to 60 seconds, followed by a maximal effort apnea. HR and SpO2 were measured continuously. Spleen diameters were measured via ultrasonography before and immediately following each apnea. The maximal apneic duration was longer in men (78±19s) compared with women (61±18s, p<0.001), while the HR reduction was similar (women: 16±19% versus men: 16±17%, p=0.973). The absolute splenic contraction was greater in men (59±56 ml) compared with women (35±28 mL, p< 0.001) in the first apnea, while the relative contraction was similar (women: 21±17% versus men: 23±13%, p=0.528). In addition, the lowest SpO2 during the maximal apnea was similar between sexes (women: 93.3±4.4%; men: 91.9±4.3%, p=0.161). We conclude that men have larger spleen size and contraction, lung size, and maximal apneic duration than women. The cardiovascular diving response is similar between sexes for those inexperienced with apneic diving. The longer breath-hold duration in men may be partly due to greater oxygen storage capacity, which results from larger vital capacity and greater spleen size and contraction.

    Keywords: Apnea, diving response, Freediving, hypoxia, sex differences, splenic contraction, hypoxia tolerance

    Received: 22 Oct 2024; Accepted: 23 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Pernett, Schagatay and Holmström. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Pontus Kristofer Holmström, Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Human Sciences, Mid Sweden University, Östersund, Sweden

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